


home is wherever i'm with you

by acaciapines



Category: Not Another D&D Podcast (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, poly platonic life partners hardshine RIGHTS, takes place at the end of ep 99
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24079387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acaciapines/pseuds/acaciapines
Summary: Hardwon and Moonshine are back together in One Big Bed, and have a talk before morning (and Thiala) comes.
Relationships: Moonshine Cybin & Hardwon Surefoot, Moonshine Cybin/Hardwon Surefoot, can technically be read as either, intended to be something inbetween
Comments: 20
Kudos: 77





	home is wherever i'm with you

“So,” Moonshine says, elbowing Hardwon as she throws herself down in bed beside him, a bed made of every blanket and pillow and bedding-adjacent thing they found on the Stormborn and dragged outside. She wiggles half under the covers and holds them up for PawPaw to scramble under, too. “That was your 35th time, huh?” She flips onto her side and grins at him, her eyes sharp with mischief.

“Yup,” Hardwon lies, as straight-faced as he can. Moonshine laughs, propping up her chin on her hand, and Hardwon shoves at her until she’s knocked off-balance. In revenge for Moonshine, or maybe just because he accidentally kicked him, PawPaw starts going for Hardwon’s toes, meaning Moonshine gets the jump on him while he has to focus on dragging PawPaw off of him. It’s a stupid fight, but most of the ones he has with Moonshine are: tussling on the bed until they annoy PawPaw too much, and they both have to stop and apologize and beg to convince him not to go running off to Bev and Balnor, who, Hardwon’s pretty sure, are still hanging out with the other halflings.

It’s Moonshine who convinces PawPaw, in the end, scooping him back into her lap where he instantly scrambles off and goes to curl up on the pillows. She snorts, before yawning and leaning her head on Hardwon’s shoulder. “I’ll never get you and your counting, Hardwon,” she says. There’s a teasing note of laughter to it, but Hardwon can do nothing but grumble. He knows Moonshine knows—he all but said it to her when he ran to ask for help. “Feels like I should be throwing a celebration or somethin’, but I guess you kinda already did that, didn’t you?” Another playful elbow to the ribs.

“What about you?” Hardwon asks, pushing Moonshine’s arm off of him, because ow, she’s good at jabbing. “I gave Jaina a glowing recommendation and I don’t want her complaining to me.”

“ _Hardwon!_ I blew that woman’s mind!” Moonshine says, with a mock-gasp. “Lasted longer than you, that’s for sure.” But she grins at him, and there’s no malice there.

“You don’t know that,” Hardwon says, because he’s still got his dignity, for all Moonshine’s seen him at his lowest. And for all he knows full well things would’ve ended worse between him and Shivel if it wasn’t for her help.

“I heard you collapsed a tent on her, Hardwon,” Moonshine says.

“Okay, that’s on Bev, he did _not_ have to come running up to me like that.”

“Putting all the blame on a poor innocent young’un,” Moonshine teases.

They fall into a comfortable silence, for a while, Hardwon laying down, Moonshine shifting so she’s splayed out on his chest, Hardwon spitting out her stray hairs. Eventually, though, Moonshine says, “so what _did_ Jaina ask you about?”

“If it was cool for her to like, ask you out and all,” Hardwon says. Moonshine hums, so he continues. “Wanted to make sure we weren’t together, or that I didn’t have a thing for you.”

“What did you tell her?”

Hardwon snorts. “That you’re amazing, and I wasn’t about to stop you two from having a good time.”

“Aww, Hardwon,” Moonshine coos, too sweet to be entirely genuine. “We helped each other out, huh?”

“Sure did,” Hardwon says. Moonshine laughs, at that, before going a bit more serious, her brow furrowing. “What?”

“Just—do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Have a thing for me.”

“Oh.” Hardwon frowns, considering. “I mean…you’re the best person I’ve ever met, Moonshine. You’re amazing. Pretty much since day one of meeting you, I knew I would follow you anywhere.”

“But what did you tell Jaina?”

“I…” Hardwon looks away from her. “It’s not like—I don’t know. It’s not like we’ve kis—” he has a sudden flashback to the time they very much did kiss, and silently agreed to never speak about it again, and pivots, “—it’s not like it matters. Even if it did, you can still make out with whoever you want. I literally can’t stop you, and not only because I don’t want to.”

“Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that.” Moonshine scoots off of him, pushing herself up so she’s leaning on her arms, staring down at him. “You could at least put up a half-decent fight.”

“ _Half_ -decent?” Hardwon asks, mock-offended. “How many people have I beat?”

“Who helped with ‘em all?” Moonshine counters, rolling back when Hardwon takes a swing at her. “And who’s been wrassling with the Crickfolk since she could walk?”

“Oh, I know you lost at least half those fights,” Hardwon says, eying Moonshine as she shifts her weight where she’s perched at the edge of the blankets, waiting for her to make the first move. It’s true: she’ll probably always be better at wrassling, because she’s got the unfair advantage of experience. But Hardwon can still beat her. Sometimes.

“Now, I know you can’t know that,” Moonshine says, “‘Cause unless some folk went blabbing, I swore ‘em all to secrecy.” She grins at him, and pounces, staring up yet another tussle that sends PawPaw scrambling off the bed as the two of them laugh and play-fight, decently matched, unable to keep the other pinned for more than a second. Moonshine repeatedly tries to knock him off-balance, Hardwon tries to brute-force her down, and the blankets end up in piles around them by the time Hardwon finally has the genius idea to combine things he learned from wrestling with Jaina, and Moonshine’s trick he’s starting to pick up on, and he gets her pinned.

“Can’t _believe_ you figured out the ear trick!” Moonshine complains, panting and staring up at him, pupils blown wide and hair a wild mess where it’s splayed under her. Hardwon’s panting, too, as Moonshine still struggles for freedom, but he counts off the pin and she goes limp in defeat. Hardwon just laughs, grinning down at Moonshine.

“You’re been using it on me since you reincarnated me,” Hardwon tells her. “I can pick up on things.” And maybe it’s taken him a _while,_ but neither of them have to mention that.

“It’s unfair! It’s worse for elves than half-elves and you know it! What idiot thought putting an elf’s entire sense of balance in such an easily pulled location was a good idea?” Moonshine flicks her ears as she says it, scowling and shoving a hand at Hardwon’s chest, that he takes and moves off of her. He tugs her up, and she rolls her eyes fondly, tilting her head to lean into his side.

“Means I won, so.” Hardwon shrugs, pinching Moonshine’s ear between his thumb and forefinger. She gives him another look, yanking it free.

“You are a _menace,_ Hardwon Surefoot. No hospitality in there.” She pokes at his cheek, as if to indicate said lack of hospitality. “I swear.”

“I’ll make an apology breakfast,” Hardwon says, half-joking. Maybe he can wake from his trance when Moonshine does, be there when she casts her Hero’s Feast. He does, after all, need less sleep than he once did.

“I’m looking forwards to it,” Moonshine says. But some of that joy is gone from her voice, and where he’s still holding her hand, having not dropped it since he pulled her up, she squeezes it.

“Hey, once we kick Thiala’s ass, breakfast is on me for the next year,” Hardwon promises. The _if_ goes unsaid. He’s been trying to shove that nagging thought out of his mind since the start of the endtimes.

“Only a year?” Moonshine says weakly.

“Way to kill the mood?” Hardwon offers.

“Yeah.” She’s quiet, for a moment, and Hardwon rests his head against hers, an action that’s acknowledged with a soft hum from Moonshine. “It’s really happening, isn’t it.”

“It is,” Hardwon says. It’s not like there’s anything else to say. They’ve defeated all the horsemen. They’ve split a divine heart. His heartbeat’s been in sync with Moonshine’s, with Bev’s, with Balnor’s, with PawPaw’s, since they all became titans—a reminder that they’re really going to do this. “You know we aren’t going to fuck up like everyone else did, right? Thiala and Alanis and Ulfgar, Melora and Tulaine—I meant it when I said I knew from the start I’d follow you anywhere. I don’t know if you’re going to retire, with the whole bring dragons back plan you’ve got, but wherever you go, I’m going to be right there.”

“Oh, Hardwon,” Moonshine says with a soft sniffle. “I know. I’ve never doubted you, not even for a second.” Moonshine getting teary-eyed makes him want to break down too, just a bit, so instead, Hardwon pulls her in for a hug, tugging her close. Moonshine hugs back fiercely, bodies and heartbeats intertwined.

They might not win. For as much as Hardwon doesn’t want to think it, he knows it’s a possibility that they have to account for—that for all the plans they’ve made, they could fight Thiala and be struck down, one by one. That even if they win, they might not all make it out, and what is he supposed to do if that happens? Moonshine’s his _family,_ and Bev and Balnor are too. If any of them drop—how is he just supposed to live on without them?

“I love you, Hardwon,” Moonshine says. Her voice is shaking, and it’s that that makes Hardwon realize just how wet his own eyes are, where he’s buried his face in Moonshine’s shoulder. “So much, you hear me? You better not go dying on me. We’re gonna—we’re gonna win this. We—oh, Hardwon, I don’t want to know the world without you.” Her arms tighten around him.

“You and me both, Moonie,” Hardwon says, his words coming out thick around the lump in his throat. “We’ve made it this far. What’s one more? Thiala can’t be as bad as that time I dropped Beverly in front of the Tarrasque.”

Moonshine laughs, a watery sound. “That ain’t gonna happen to none of us. I won’t let it.”

“Yeah. I won’t let it happen to you, either.” He lifts his head and pulls back just enough so he can look at Moonshine, push some hair out of her eyes. “And, Moonshine?”

Her eyes are red from crying. He doubts he looks much better. “Yeah?”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

Hardwon’s not sure how long they end up staying like that, hugging and close, but he does know at some point they must’ve transferred to lying down, and he must have fallen somewhat into a trance, because he’s woken by voices. When he opens his eyes, it’s darker than he remembers it being, and Bev is charging over to them, a stumbling Balnor behind him. Moonshine’s got her head on his chest, but she lifts it with a grumble and squinted, bleary eyes.

“And then we—oh, were you guys sleeping already? Sorry! I really didn’t notice how much time passed!” Bev says, running up to the edge of the bed and kneeling down. “I just, it’s been so long since I’ve last seen Cran and Derlin, and that goof went so wrong so fast, and then I _think_ I talked feelings with Egwene, which was really weird, but maybe useful? But I really wanted to get back to you, and Balnor kept falling asleep.”

As Balnor is mentioned, he collapses into the other side of the bed, grumbles out various sounds that could be a goodnight, or could just be gibberish, and starts snoring. Hardwon feels more than hears Moonshine laugh.

“You’re fine, Bev,” she says, kicking back at Hardwon to get him to scoot over. Hardwon does, but drags Moonshine along too, because honestly, she’s so close at this point that he can’t entirely tell which limbs are his and which are hers. Moonshine, similarly, doesn’t seem to notice to mind, just pats the now-free space. “C’mon, you’d better get in before PawPaw steals it.”

“Oh! Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Bev gets into bed, getting settled just as PawPaw comes over to investigate, and sprawls out on the nearest pillow when it turns out Bev’s already there. “So, what were you guys doing in here? Just sleeping?”

“I beat Moonshine at wrestling,” Hardwon says, before she can beat him to it. Moonshine laughs, an affronted _Hardwon!_ but he just grins and pats at her hair. “That makes it, what, five wins to me?”

“And Moonshine’s got at least seventy-three, but the paper’s in the bag and Balnor’s the best at getting exact stuff out of them. Bev hums, a questioning note. “Hmm. That means you’ve beat her more than I have.”

“Sure have!” Hardwon boasts, even as Moonshine twists to swat at him. “And now that I’ve figured out her secret ear-related weak spot…”

“It _is_ a convenient weak spot,” Bev muses, to Moonshine’s protests. “But can’t she just turn it back around on you? And I ask this having seen her do that very thing. You squeal _loud.”_

“One, I had only been a half-elf for 30 minutes max, and two, you’d squeal too if the entire world suddenly went spinning and tilted.”

“Naw, you’re just a baby,” Moonshine says.

“Oh, like you _didn’t_ yelp,” Hardwon says, but he’s a bit too tired to actually start up another match, and he also doesn’t want to kick Balnor off their already-precarious blanket-bed situation.

“Lies and slander, Surefoot! And you don’t have no proof. C’mon, Bev, wrassle this man with me!”

“Ooh, another goof!” Bev says, way too excited.

But it’s their last night before everything might go wrong.

Hardwon never thought he’d end up here, fighting off both Moonshine and Bev, Bev trying to figure out how to use blankets to trip him, and Moonshine wrestling him down with that sweet, delighted laugh of hers. But he’s here, and he’s home, and he loves these people with all of his heart—his people, his _family._

Moonshine’s eyes sparkle when she looks at him, grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. He loves her more than he knows what to do with, more than he knows how to define.

He tugs herself free of her pin, hears her shriek in defiance as she goes after him again, and knows that she loves him right back.

**Author's Note:**

> i fucking love platonic life partners hardshine and i can't believe how hard ep 99 and it's short rest validated me. i seriously cannot fucking believe it. this is the ideal timeline, the best dynamic...i fucking love these two with my Whole Entire Heart. naddpod is the only dnd podcast i've ever cried at!!! ever!!! why is it so good! it starts out with like at least 10 minutes of talk about dragon dicks!! why does it make me cry!!! 
> 
> the title is from home by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, one of the songs on my hardshine playlist. relating songs to hardshine was a MISTAKE they play SO OFTEN. i will be reading for entirely different fandoms, and fire and the flood will come on, and i have to open my ipad's note doc to write another 500 words on how much i fucking care about hardwon and moonshine. this has happened seven times. it's all just the same fucking thing. 
> 
> also: i wanted bev in this more! but i didn't want him to awkwardly third wheel. rip bev i'm sorry.
> 
> i can't believe this show ends tomorrow you guys. i'm excited and terrified. i know it's gonna be a good ending! i also don't want to say goodbye to the band of boobs yet. i've been vibrating out of my body since i heard ep 99 i think the finale is going to be what finally ends me. im just so glad this show exists. ily naddpod this is my love letter to you.


End file.
